Full Time Hustlin'

by: Mr. So What

In a time when Hip Hop is more diverse than ever enters one of Seattle's most highly ranked rap labels. There savage hustle, directed by Mr. D-Sane, has been marked by there release of five albums in less than four years. Since 1998 Street Level record's name has been buzzing throughout Seattle and the Everett area.

They have had multiple songs played on air and tour in multiple states, but due to the lack of coverage on NW Hip Hop the masses aren't given the option to educate themselves to the Sounds of the Emerald City's Finest.

We had to get the low down on Seattle's most active Indie Rap Label and who better to talk to than Producer and CEO, David Severance III aka D-Sane.

When did the label actually start?

I came up with Street Level Records in 1994. I was trying to get it off the ground back then with the catz I was working with, but they weren’t serious. So, I didn’t actually get my first project out until 1998.

What made you decide to start your own label?

I got tired of dealing with fake managers and wanna-be labels that had no idea what they were doing. Plus, I've always had the "If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself" attitude. Why should I put my future in somebody elses hands?

How did the group, FTS, come to be?

I originally met a couple of the catz from F.T.S. back in 1993-94, just casually before I knew they were rappin'. We all had mutual friends, but they (F.T.S.) were always hangin' with the younger crowd, so there wasn't much exposure to each other.  Then in late 1995 a mutual friend came to me and said, "You should hear these guys"

I was like "What? They rap?" So, I met with them and they were cool....they just needed some direction and  artist development.  Originally it was me, Smoke and J-Dub. BD joined the group as soon as he touched down from the institution in 1996. Then, as we started making cutz, other people started jumping on the bandwagon.

 Who would you say is the stand out artist of the group?

That's hard to say....overall I would have to say Madd Dogg. I've always heard a lot of positive comments about him. Byrdie is another person that made a good impression on the "Money Motivated" album. Drama is a fan favorite also. It's hard to say, so many people like different catz out of the group for different reasons.

Which album made the most noise & opened the most doors?

I would have to say the F.T.S. "Money Motivated" album. It has been our best seller and is still doing pretty well. We got our first radio play from that album and created a nice buzz with it. But, Byrdie's "Poetic Epidemic" album is opening alot of doors for us right now.

What spited the large increase in output from Street Level Records?

 I just decided that I was going to go full steam ahead and bang out projects. With having so many people around you, it's not hard to put a smaller group such as I.K. together and start working on solo projects from various people in F.T.S. My main thing is "productivity." Alot of catz drop 1 project and you don't hear anything from them for hella, if ever again. I want to stay fresh in people’s minds and hit them from all angles. You might not like Syko, but you will like Byrdie. You might not like Byrdie, but you might like Sarkastik.

So who makes most of the beats for yalls albums?

 I usually do a majority of the beats and all of the production. The only project that I haven't had a majority of beats on is Syko's "Sykotherapy" album. Me and Syko split the beats....he did half, I did half. After that, we decided to become a production team called Syko N Sane Productions.

Did FTS break up? And is IK the new group?

Did F.T.S. break up? Not really, there have just been some adjustments in the line-up. F.T.S. is a team. Players come and go, but the team is always there. So, as it stands right now....the Street Level roster is me, Byrdie, J-Dub, Brazy-J, Syko and Sarkastik. I may also be putting out The Koalition album, which is a group that Sarkastik is a member of.

Is Sarkastik signed to Street Level or are you guys just in a joint
venture on his album?

Sarkastik is a full-fledged member of the Street Level camp. We're doing the same thing production-wise with his album that we did with Syko's.....Sarkastik is doing about half of the beats and I'm doing the other half. So, it's a joint venture in a way....but it will be a Street Level release.

What is your take on NW Hip Hop and why no Indie label has really gotten the proper shine that several labels deserve?

Too many catz are hatin' on each other, too many people don't want to share knowledge with each other, nobody wants to help anyone else. It also seems to me like right now, nobody has all of the right things it's going to take to get that shine. Some catz have money, but no talent. Some catz have talent and no money. Some fools have all the talent in the world, but would rather chase hoes around all night instead of focusing and taking this rap game seriously. Some catz are tight on the mic, but their production is lacking.                          Then we have the radio issue. Western Washington only has 1 major "hip-hop oriented" radio station....that doesn't exactly support the local scene. We're stuck playin' the corporate politics game. Maybe if we spend $2,000 a week with KUBE....they'll pay attention to and play us? That's not realistic for any of us though.

F.T.S. is a team. Players come and go, but the team is always there.

What has been the response from the local station towards your music?

They have showed us nothing but love, I couldn't ask for more. Maybe some full rotation (lol), but that will come in time. They have played 3 of our songs to date.

What else is coming out the Street Level Camp?

After Sarkastik's "No Gimmiks, No Image, Straight Lyriks" album drops in November, which will be our 4th album this year, I'm tryin' to squeeze in the "Street Poetry Vol. 1" before the end of the year. The album is going to consist of some unreleased F.T.S. material along with solo songs from various members. I'm also going to have some songs from a few other local artists as well as a couple from some of my partners in the Bay Area.

In 2002, we will be dropping the Syko, Byrdie & Sarkastik group album (no group name yet) called "Lyricide." We will also be droppin' Syko's "Amerikkkan Syko Vol. 2" and are discussing doing a 3rd F.T.S. album with some new members. We'll see.......

Who is scheduled to feature on the compilation?

F.T.S., Syko, Brazy-J, J-Dub, Sarkastik, Byrdie, Skuntdunanna, Self Tightld, Creep-Lo, 2-Tyght + ???? Maybe Mr. D.O.G.????

Who would you like to work with in the near future?

I wouldn't mind doing some work with some major artists or some movie projects.....but I would rather work with up and coming artists. I'm starting to branch out and do beats for catz in Sac, the Bay Area and the Mid-West....all of which I met networking on the internet. I frequent the hip-hop message boards and it's surprising how accessible alot of the up and coming, sometimes even established artists are. Ultimately though, I'm tryin' to work with almost everybody from the NW. 

Any shows coming up?

We're doing Byrdie's "Poetic Epidemic" release party on Oct. 10th at "The Reitz" (6th & Weller) in Chinatown, downtown Seattle. Then we're flying to Phoenix, AZ for a show on Oct. 12th.